Rebound-dampening headgear liners with positioning feature

Abstract

A liner adapted to be interposed between the interior surface of a protective headgear and a wearer's head includes a plurality of networked fluid cells adapted to distribute and dissipate an impact force to the liner, and / or headgear with which the liner is used, across a larger area of the wearer's head as compared with the impact location, and also to dampen the tendency of the wearer's head from rebounding back from the impact location by transferring fluid through the network from fluid cells at the impact location to those in an opposed region. Discrete fluid cells interspersed among the networked fluid cells maintain the liner and / or the headgear in a predetermined orientation on the wearer's head. Fluid flow within the liner may be restricted or directed by configuring the fluid passageways. A liner may further include means for moving fluid into or out of the fluid cells.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELDThe disclosure relates to personal protective equipment, and in particular to fluid-containing liners adapted for use with a wide variety of designs of protective headgear.BACKGROUNDLiners are used in conjunction with protective headgear, such as helmets designed for use with various sports and other outdoor activities, primarily to be interposed generally between the interior surface of the headgear and a wearer's head. Most liners are configured for wearer comfort, but some may also or alternatively serve a protective function, such as by including cushions, pads, or other materials to soften or prevent the impact of the wearer's head against the interior of the headgear, such as when the headgear exterior is subject to an impact or other force.Many head or brain injuries incurred while wearing protective headgear, however, are caused or exacerbated by what may be referred to as a “rebound effect”: in the event of a sudden force delivered to the headgear, the wearer...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

Illustrative embodiments of liners adapted for use with headgear, generally in a manner in which the liner is interposed between the interior surface of the headgear and a wearer's head received therein, include a plurality of fluid cells formed from a flexible, fluid-impermeable material, each fluid cell adapted to receive and store fluid, such as air, the plurality of fluid cells further including a group of networked fluid cells which each communicate with at least one other via a fluid passageway, and a group of discrete, non-networked fluid cells interspersed among the networked fluid cells. In such embodiments, when the fluid pressure in the fluid cells is at least a predetermined minimum value, such as equivalent to atmospheric pressure, the discrete fluid cells are configured to position the headgear on a wearer's head and to maintain an initial spaced relationship between the user head and the interior surface of the headgear, and the fluid passageways are configured to equalize fluid pressure across the networked fluid cells of the group responsive to a force delivered thereto, such as to distribute and thereby dissipate such a force over a larger region of the wearer's head than that corresponding to the initial point or location of impact. In such embodiments, the networked, or interconnected, fluid cells are adapted to dampen the tendency of the wearer's head to rebound from an impact location by laterally distributing fluid from the networked cells at or near the impact location (or at or near the portion of the liner corresponding to the impact location on the headgear) to other networked fluid cells that are disposed at one or more locations on the liner that are generally opposed to the impact location.

In some embodiments, some of the fluid passageways may be provided with means to restrict fluid flow to a predetermined flow rate, or to establish preferential fluid transfer between certain networked cells, such as cells in opposed regions of the liner, for example to facilitate the rebound-dampening effect of the liner.

Problems solved by technology

In certain instances, it is the energy associated with the rebound effect, sometimes regardless of whether the initial impact is cushioned, that is primarily responsible for the severity of head injuries sustained while wearing headgear.

However, none address the rebound effect as explained above.

Moreover, although the headgear with which some of these liners are used may employ a chinstrap or other device to orient the headgear on a wearer's head, none of the liners themselves include such a feature.

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